"In here," hissed Calaen, as he heard the sounds of guards shouting
commands nearby. "In here, and do not even think to take out your knife."
Legolas looked down at Tain, who had ceased crying. Tears were gathered in his eyes though; maybe he was just too shocked to shed them. The child gazed up, and his expression said nothing other than: "Please, help me." The Prince cursed, and with a shake of his head, stepped into shadows in front of his brother.
"Alright, now we are going to get horses, and we will ride from Rivendell," Calaen whispered. He narrowed his eyes as he saw Legolas' hand inching towards his knife. "I told you not to do that. Fine, if you want to play that way, then take it out and pass it to me."
"Never," spat Legolas.
"I do not really wish to hurt you, child, yet my brother here is giving me little choice," Calaen murmured, tightening his grip around Tain, though not taking his eyes from the Prince.
Legolas hissed, and jerked his knife out. He glared at the older Elf for a brief moment, before reaching across and pushing the hilt into his hand. Tain closed his eyes as he felt a second blade pressing against his chest.
"You cannot get out of Rivendell," said Legolas scornfully.
"Keep your voice down, fool!" hissed Calaen. "We are going to get out of this place, for I will pretend to be Airëlus, though I will wear a hood over my face. The guards cannot prevent the Princes of Mirkwood from doing what they wish. Of course, I am not forcing you to come with me. However, Tain will have to pay the consequences if you should not."
"If I do this, then I want your word that you will do nothing whatsoever to the child," Legolas said, as they quietly made their way through the trees and down to the stables.
"I have already told you that I will not hurt him if you do everything I want," said Calaen, sounding bored as he pushed Tain in front of him.
Legolas shook his head slightly, and had to bite down hard on his tongue in order to keep silent and not give away their whereabouts. He could not believe that he was walking side by side with Calaen, the one who had caused so much trouble in so many people's lives.
"Alright, we are here," Calaen suddenly hissed, looking around to make sure they were alone.
Legolas blinked in surprise. Already? It had not taken them long to get there. He shook himself mentally, and looked down at Tain. The child was shaking, whether from fear or cold was unknown, but Legolas suspected the former.
"Go in there and get Airëlus' horse," Calaen said quietly. "Find one for yourself, then come back out here to meet us. And Legolas, do not delay."
The Prince merely made a noise of disgust as he pushed past his brother and went into the stables. Calaen's reaction though, was to laugh softly, and bend down to murmur in Tain's ear.
"He suspects nothing," the dark haired Elf breathed. "It must remain that way, so you must keep up the act. You are doing well, child."
"So are you," Tain smirked. "You have not once nicked me with either of the blades."
Calaen smiled, though he quickly wiped it from his face as Legolas came back out, leading a golden horse, and another, a grey-coated one. "Back so soon? You must be eager to leave here."
"No, just to see the child free," hissed Legolas. "Come, let us get this over with."
With that, the Prince swung himself up onto the horse, whilst Calaen did the same beside him, not once releasing his hold on Tain. Legolas nudged the animal forwards, and he looked up at the house of Elrond, wondering what was happening inside. Were Airëlus and Thranduil in their own rooms now, or were they still talking? Would one of them realise that something was wrong? And what of Elladan? Maybe he would see something in a dream, as he had done before.
"Prince Legolas, what are you doing out here?" called a sudden sharp voice to the left of the riders. "And who are these travelling with you?"
Legolas halted his horse, and realised with a jolt that they had already reached the gates of Rivendell. Ten guards were coming out of the shadows, five from either side, and they all had their bows pointed towards Calaen. He had his hood pulled up though, his features hidden.
"Prince Legolas, you should not be out here," said one of the guards urgently.
"No, it is quite alright. This...is my brother, Airëlus," replied Legolas. "With him is the child Tain, and we wish to leave the haven of Rivendell, for a time."
"The orders were to keep the Royal Family of Mirkwood inside," said the guard. "It is for your own safety."
"My brother and I have our own reasons for leaving," said Calaen, dropping his tone slightly to adopt that of Airëlus. "Lord Elrond is fully aware of what we are doing, as are Mithrandir and our father. It was they who gave us permission to do what we must."
"What of the child?" asked the guard.
"Like I said, we have our reasons," replied Calaen. "Please, we would rather not share them at this moment in time. We will be returning no later than tomorrow morning, I can assure you."
The guard shook his head doubtfully. "You are Princes of Mirkwood, and I can do nothing to oppose your word, especially when it is joined by Lord Elrond's, Mithrandir's, and King Thranduil's. This is against my better judgement, but...alright."
Calaen smiled behind his hood, whilst Legolas' eyes darkened slightly. As they passed through the gates, the younger Elf stared at the guards, willing them to notice that something was wrong. However, they merely bowed their heads respectfully to the two.
"Come, the sooner we are away from here, the better," Calaen muttered, kicking his horse into a canter. He did not even bother with looking behind to make sure that Legolas was following. There was no real need, for of course the Prince would not leave an innocent child in the sadistic hands of his brother.
"Where are we going?" Legolas called, as he cantered after Calaen.
"Why, are you afraid that no-one will be able to find you?" laughed the dark haired Elf.
"No, my only worry lies with the child," Legolas snapped.
Calaen laughed once more, and suddenly swerved sharply to the left, down a path which had gone un-noticed by Legolas. The Prince's horse instinctively followed the other, though he abruptly pulled to a halt as soon as he was on the path. Legolas leant forwards, and touched a hand to the animal's neck, trying not to worry as he saw Calaen disappear round a corner.
"Yes, you wish to return to Rivendell, but we can go no-where until the child is free," he said softly. "Come, go forwards."
The animal merely snorted, tossing his grey head. His ears were laid back, and he was stamping his hooves, breathing heavily, a soft white mist coming from his nostrils. His rider laughed quietly, and jumped down to the ground.
"Alright, go back to Rivendell. When you return alone, they will suspect something," Legolas murmured. "Noro lim, mellon nin."
Trailing a hand through the horse's mane, he turned and sprang up into a tree. He crept swiftly along the branches, leaves barely rustling beneath him. Birds watched as the silent Elf leapt from tree to tree, though they made no objection to his presence. They knew he meant no harm, quite unlike the other who had passed under their eaves a moment ago.
............................................................................................................
Elven Kitten: You know, I'm gonna start referring to him as 'it'!
kathysidle: I'm glad you enjoyed it! You know, I am pretty sure you're psychic! I mean, you predict that things are gonna happen, and then they do!
Halimanya: If you had romantic plans for Sheila, then I wouldn't kill her yet, if I were you. But maybe you could get her together with whoever, and then kill her after! Wow, that would be so sad! Anyway, I don't know how many chapters are left, but there's definitely no more than 10. And yeah, I'm doing a prequel to the whole thing also, so there'll be little Legolas, and nice Calaen. That will be fun to write, cos I'll get to do the transformation of Calaen from caring to nasty!
Haldir's Heart and Soul: That was a really good suggestion, and I really tried hard to write it into the chapter! I tried re-writing it like 3 times, but then someone pointed out that Legolas might not risk putting a child's life in danger. But I'll try and fit it into the next chapter. :)
Hiei-Rulez: I've been having problems with Tain. I thought he should die for what he's done, but I've always thought that killing a child is one of the worst crimes, and I don't think I could do that, even though it's just fictional! But it still has been really hard!
nanar: Cliffies are an essential part to my stories!
eleanor rigbey: Ah, if only Legolas knew differently about Tain!
Rutu: Hello! Thanks for leaving such a nice review! I'm glad you're enjoying all the stories! Right, the answer to your question....hang on, let me check that chapter a second...ah yes. Well, Elladan put his hand on Elrohir's cheek, and Elrohir felt so bad that he had told Elrond the secret, and he expected Elladan to completely explode, and he (Elrohir) thought he (Elladan) was gonna hit him, cos he (Elrohir) thought that was what he deserved. Hope that clears it up! :)
Ok, I'm sorry for two things. First of all, I'm sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I had problems writing, and kept on ripping up what I'd written. Secondly, I'm sorry for the shortness and the lameness of this chapter. I wanted to write more, but I don't have time cos its my Prom tonight, and I have to get ready. But the next chapter will be better than this one. Misto
Legolas looked down at Tain, who had ceased crying. Tears were gathered in his eyes though; maybe he was just too shocked to shed them. The child gazed up, and his expression said nothing other than: "Please, help me." The Prince cursed, and with a shake of his head, stepped into shadows in front of his brother.
"Alright, now we are going to get horses, and we will ride from Rivendell," Calaen whispered. He narrowed his eyes as he saw Legolas' hand inching towards his knife. "I told you not to do that. Fine, if you want to play that way, then take it out and pass it to me."
"Never," spat Legolas.
"I do not really wish to hurt you, child, yet my brother here is giving me little choice," Calaen murmured, tightening his grip around Tain, though not taking his eyes from the Prince.
Legolas hissed, and jerked his knife out. He glared at the older Elf for a brief moment, before reaching across and pushing the hilt into his hand. Tain closed his eyes as he felt a second blade pressing against his chest.
"You cannot get out of Rivendell," said Legolas scornfully.
"Keep your voice down, fool!" hissed Calaen. "We are going to get out of this place, for I will pretend to be Airëlus, though I will wear a hood over my face. The guards cannot prevent the Princes of Mirkwood from doing what they wish. Of course, I am not forcing you to come with me. However, Tain will have to pay the consequences if you should not."
"If I do this, then I want your word that you will do nothing whatsoever to the child," Legolas said, as they quietly made their way through the trees and down to the stables.
"I have already told you that I will not hurt him if you do everything I want," said Calaen, sounding bored as he pushed Tain in front of him.
Legolas shook his head slightly, and had to bite down hard on his tongue in order to keep silent and not give away their whereabouts. He could not believe that he was walking side by side with Calaen, the one who had caused so much trouble in so many people's lives.
"Alright, we are here," Calaen suddenly hissed, looking around to make sure they were alone.
Legolas blinked in surprise. Already? It had not taken them long to get there. He shook himself mentally, and looked down at Tain. The child was shaking, whether from fear or cold was unknown, but Legolas suspected the former.
"Go in there and get Airëlus' horse," Calaen said quietly. "Find one for yourself, then come back out here to meet us. And Legolas, do not delay."
The Prince merely made a noise of disgust as he pushed past his brother and went into the stables. Calaen's reaction though, was to laugh softly, and bend down to murmur in Tain's ear.
"He suspects nothing," the dark haired Elf breathed. "It must remain that way, so you must keep up the act. You are doing well, child."
"So are you," Tain smirked. "You have not once nicked me with either of the blades."
Calaen smiled, though he quickly wiped it from his face as Legolas came back out, leading a golden horse, and another, a grey-coated one. "Back so soon? You must be eager to leave here."
"No, just to see the child free," hissed Legolas. "Come, let us get this over with."
With that, the Prince swung himself up onto the horse, whilst Calaen did the same beside him, not once releasing his hold on Tain. Legolas nudged the animal forwards, and he looked up at the house of Elrond, wondering what was happening inside. Were Airëlus and Thranduil in their own rooms now, or were they still talking? Would one of them realise that something was wrong? And what of Elladan? Maybe he would see something in a dream, as he had done before.
"Prince Legolas, what are you doing out here?" called a sudden sharp voice to the left of the riders. "And who are these travelling with you?"
Legolas halted his horse, and realised with a jolt that they had already reached the gates of Rivendell. Ten guards were coming out of the shadows, five from either side, and they all had their bows pointed towards Calaen. He had his hood pulled up though, his features hidden.
"Prince Legolas, you should not be out here," said one of the guards urgently.
"No, it is quite alright. This...is my brother, Airëlus," replied Legolas. "With him is the child Tain, and we wish to leave the haven of Rivendell, for a time."
"The orders were to keep the Royal Family of Mirkwood inside," said the guard. "It is for your own safety."
"My brother and I have our own reasons for leaving," said Calaen, dropping his tone slightly to adopt that of Airëlus. "Lord Elrond is fully aware of what we are doing, as are Mithrandir and our father. It was they who gave us permission to do what we must."
"What of the child?" asked the guard.
"Like I said, we have our reasons," replied Calaen. "Please, we would rather not share them at this moment in time. We will be returning no later than tomorrow morning, I can assure you."
The guard shook his head doubtfully. "You are Princes of Mirkwood, and I can do nothing to oppose your word, especially when it is joined by Lord Elrond's, Mithrandir's, and King Thranduil's. This is against my better judgement, but...alright."
Calaen smiled behind his hood, whilst Legolas' eyes darkened slightly. As they passed through the gates, the younger Elf stared at the guards, willing them to notice that something was wrong. However, they merely bowed their heads respectfully to the two.
"Come, the sooner we are away from here, the better," Calaen muttered, kicking his horse into a canter. He did not even bother with looking behind to make sure that Legolas was following. There was no real need, for of course the Prince would not leave an innocent child in the sadistic hands of his brother.
"Where are we going?" Legolas called, as he cantered after Calaen.
"Why, are you afraid that no-one will be able to find you?" laughed the dark haired Elf.
"No, my only worry lies with the child," Legolas snapped.
Calaen laughed once more, and suddenly swerved sharply to the left, down a path which had gone un-noticed by Legolas. The Prince's horse instinctively followed the other, though he abruptly pulled to a halt as soon as he was on the path. Legolas leant forwards, and touched a hand to the animal's neck, trying not to worry as he saw Calaen disappear round a corner.
"Yes, you wish to return to Rivendell, but we can go no-where until the child is free," he said softly. "Come, go forwards."
The animal merely snorted, tossing his grey head. His ears were laid back, and he was stamping his hooves, breathing heavily, a soft white mist coming from his nostrils. His rider laughed quietly, and jumped down to the ground.
"Alright, go back to Rivendell. When you return alone, they will suspect something," Legolas murmured. "Noro lim, mellon nin."
Trailing a hand through the horse's mane, he turned and sprang up into a tree. He crept swiftly along the branches, leaves barely rustling beneath him. Birds watched as the silent Elf leapt from tree to tree, though they made no objection to his presence. They knew he meant no harm, quite unlike the other who had passed under their eaves a moment ago.
............................................................................................................
Elven Kitten: You know, I'm gonna start referring to him as 'it'!
kathysidle: I'm glad you enjoyed it! You know, I am pretty sure you're psychic! I mean, you predict that things are gonna happen, and then they do!
Halimanya: If you had romantic plans for Sheila, then I wouldn't kill her yet, if I were you. But maybe you could get her together with whoever, and then kill her after! Wow, that would be so sad! Anyway, I don't know how many chapters are left, but there's definitely no more than 10. And yeah, I'm doing a prequel to the whole thing also, so there'll be little Legolas, and nice Calaen. That will be fun to write, cos I'll get to do the transformation of Calaen from caring to nasty!
Haldir's Heart and Soul: That was a really good suggestion, and I really tried hard to write it into the chapter! I tried re-writing it like 3 times, but then someone pointed out that Legolas might not risk putting a child's life in danger. But I'll try and fit it into the next chapter. :)
Hiei-Rulez: I've been having problems with Tain. I thought he should die for what he's done, but I've always thought that killing a child is one of the worst crimes, and I don't think I could do that, even though it's just fictional! But it still has been really hard!
nanar: Cliffies are an essential part to my stories!
eleanor rigbey: Ah, if only Legolas knew differently about Tain!
Rutu: Hello! Thanks for leaving such a nice review! I'm glad you're enjoying all the stories! Right, the answer to your question....hang on, let me check that chapter a second...ah yes. Well, Elladan put his hand on Elrohir's cheek, and Elrohir felt so bad that he had told Elrond the secret, and he expected Elladan to completely explode, and he (Elrohir) thought he (Elladan) was gonna hit him, cos he (Elrohir) thought that was what he deserved. Hope that clears it up! :)
Ok, I'm sorry for two things. First of all, I'm sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I had problems writing, and kept on ripping up what I'd written. Secondly, I'm sorry for the shortness and the lameness of this chapter. I wanted to write more, but I don't have time cos its my Prom tonight, and I have to get ready. But the next chapter will be better than this one. Misto